As part of its grantprogramme forpostgraduateresearchers, the IOC'sOlympic Studies Centre(OSC) chose six researchprojects for theiracademic excellenceand their potential fordeveloping the OlympicMovement. The authorsof these projects willbenefit from a grant thatwill allow them toconsult the OSC'scollections (uniquecollections of more thanone million archiveddocuments, publications,official reports, photosand films). The results oftheir research should bepublished at the end ofthis year. The list of thecandidates and theirprojects can be found on www.olympic.org/university-relationsIOC President Jacques Rogge welcomed UnitedNations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to theIOC headquarters in Lausanne, where the twoleaders reviewed the joint activities that theorganisations had put in place in 2010 andreaffirmed their commitment to a number ofupcoming initiatives using sport as a tool for peace,education and development.The IOC and UN strengthened ties in 2010, withthe IOC attending for the first time the UN GeneralAssembly meetings as an observer. The decision bythe UN to grant the IOC UN observer status inOctober 2009 was a tribute to the longstandingpartnership between the two organisations and tothe IOC's contribution to the achievement of the UNMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) throughsport. Mario Pescante was since named as theIOC's Permanent Observer to the United Nations.Just recently, the IOC teamed up with the Officeof the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)to launch an ambitious three-year sport andeducation programme for some 8,500 youngpeople living in the Osire refugee settlement inNamibia. The programme is designed to involveyoung people in sports activities in order to alleviatesome of the major problems affecting them, namelyteenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infectionssuch as HIV, and drug abuse. Other commonactivities include the 'Together we can stop HIV andAIDS' campaign conducted during the OlympicWinter Games in Vancouver as well as the UNagency's strong involvement in the Culture andEducation Programme (CEP) put in place during thefirst Youth Olympic Games in Singapore lastsummer, which reached out to some 3,600 youngathletes and their entourage."The UN Secretary General and I had a goodmeeting that allowed us to review the numerousprogrammes that have been jointly activated, anddiscussed issues of mutual concern," PresidentRogge said after the meeting. "As a global sports organisation, the IOC hasthe moral duty to place sport at the service ofhumanity. This mission was reconfirmed by theOlympic Congress held in 2009 in Copenhagen,where the Secretary-General gave a very inspiringspeech. We are proud to be a part, through sport,of the international community's efforts to achievethe MDGs."Among upcoming projects are the joint effortsthat will be deployed to find solutions to easeaccess of Palestinian and Israeli athletes to sportingcompetitions and the adoption by the UN of theOlympic Truce Resolution for the London 2012Olympic Games.ISRAEL ANDPALESTINEOLYMPIC COMMITTEESMEET IN LAUSANNEUNDERIOCPATRONAGEIOC PRESIDENT MEETS WITH UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOONThe IOC hosted the first meeting between theNational Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Israel andPalestine aimed at addressing a number of outstand-ing sports-related issues. Both NOCs agreed to con-vene in Lausanne following IOC President JacquesRogge's visit to the Middle East last October.Led bythe IOC, the meeting was held in a very constructiveand cooperative spirit. The free movement ofPalestinian athletes, coaches, officials and sportsmaterial, as well as foreign visiting athletes, was discussed and a modus vivendi reached betweenthe two NOCs. The development of Palestinian sportwas also on the agenda. The IOC confirmed it wouldprovide experts to work on a long-term sports devel-opment strategy in Palestine to continue to assistnot only the athletes but also coaches and sportsadministrators, and to identify ways to better promotesport and its values at grassroots level. In the shortrun, priority will be given to assisting Palestinian athletes to take part in the Olympic Games in Londonnext year. The participation of Israeli athletes in international competitions was also discussed and allparticipants promised to use their influence whenpossible to address the issue.Below(left to right) Palestinian NOC PresidentMajor General Jibril Rajoub, IOC PresidentRogge, Israeli NOC President Zvi VarshaviakAboveIOC President Jacques Rogge and UNSecretary-General Ban Ki-moonOLYMPIC REVIEW13NEWS INBRIEF

AboveBeijing will host the 2011 WorldConference on Sport for All from 20-23September this year14OLYMPIC REVIEWIOC President Jacques Rogge met withAndroulla Vassiliou, EuropeanCommissioner for Education, Culture,Multilingualism and Youth, at the IOCheadquarters in Lausanne in January.The aim of the meeting was toexchange views about the newcommunication paper Developing theEuropean Dimension in Sport, which waspublished by the European Commissionearlier this month. With the Lisbon Treatyproviding a legal basis for sport andrecognising its specific nature for the firsttime, the document contains a set ofproposals on initiatives to be taken by theEU in the field of sport.The EU Commissioner presented thedetails of the communication paperaddressing the societal role of sport, itseconomic dimension and its organisation.The representatives of the OlympicMovement attending the meetingwelcomed the Commission's support for the collective selling of media rights as a means to ensure financialsolidarity and redistribution mechanismswithin sport. They also praised theCommission's approach to the protection ofintellectual property rights owned by sportsorganisations, which are an importantrevenue source for sport. In addition, support was expressed for the Commission's intention to further define the specific nature of sport. While the communication paper clearlyrecognises sport as a tool for socialinclusion, the representatives of theOlympic Movement expressed concern thata new dedicated EU funding programme forsport has been put on hold. Participantsstressed the importance of a specificbudget line for the promotion of the socialrole of sport, especially at grassroots level.The IOC President took the opportunityto update Commissioner Vassiliou on theOlympic Movement's latest initiatives in the fields of good governance, irregularbetting and athletes' career management -areas that are also addressed in the EUcommunication paper.After the meeting, the IOC Presidentsaid: "With the Lisbon Treaty and an articleon sport now in force, it is time to makesure that the role of sport in Europe isfurther strengthened. Today's meeting withCommissioner Vassiliou was veryproductive and gave us the opportunity to discuss how we can mainstream thesocial role of sport in various fields, and, at the same time fight the threats to sport's integrity, such as doping andirregular betting. I am looking forward tocontinuing the dialogue with theCommissioner in the future."Commissioner Vassiliou added: "TheIOC is clearly a very important stakeholderfor us, and I would like to thank the IOCPresident and the Olympic Movementrepresentatives for their valuable feedbackon how we can move things forward. Themeasures that we have formulated in ourrecent communication paper highlightsport's contribution to our society andoutline a number of challenges which wewant to tackle in close coordination with themember states and the world of sport."ROGGEANDVASSILIOUDISCUSSEUANDSPORTMATTERSWORLDCONFERENCEONSPORT FORALLBeijing (China) will be the host of the 14th WorldConference on Sport for All, which will take placefrom 20 to 23 September 2011, under the lead ofSam Ramsamy, Chairman of the IOC's Sport for All Commission. The focus of this edition will be onthe practical implementation of Sport for Allprogrammes, and speakers from around the worldas well as high profile personalities will attend toshare their expertise in this field. The event will alsolook at academic studies on the cultural importanceand health benefits of physical activity. The formatof the Conference will see emphasis placed uponthe sharing of knowledge and the exchange of bestpractices, including workshops, panel discussionsand networking opportunities for the participants.In particular, discussions will centre on thefollowing themes: follow-up of the 2010 WorldConference on Sport for All; health and socialbenefits of physical activity; programmes andpolicies:the practical and theoretical foundations of Sport for All; and development and promotion of Sport for All, in particular the roles of differentstakeholders and future directions.The attendees will have the opportunity to hear case study presentations in which presenterswill share their secrets on the successfulimplementation ofSport for Allprogrammes. Furthermore, theConference willprovide participantswith the opportunity to meet the experts andleaders of the global Sport for All movement, withspecific times set aside for networking andcommunication. The academic content of theConference will be supplemented by a number ofsporting and social events in which participants will be able to gain first-hand impressions ofBeijing's Olympic legacy. Learn more and registerat www.sportforall2011.orgAbove left EU Commissioner AndroullaVassiliou and IOC President Rogge